Bass string for pianos or other musical instruments.



-- PATENTED OCT. 6, 1903.

A. D. RA'MAGCIOTTL BASSSTRING FOR -PIANOS'OR OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 13, 1902.

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UNITED STATES v Patented October 6, 1903.

ALBERT D. RAMACOIOTTI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BASS STRING FOR PIANOS OR OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,918, dated October6, 1903.

Application filed December 13,1902. Serial No. 135,184. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT D. RAMAcoI- OTTI, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in the Man ufacture of BassStrings for Pianos or other Musical Instruments, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to a product rather than a process of manufacture;but the latter may be involved in the former, and While the individualelements have been produced heretofore by similar processes and usedindividually their combination and simultaneous use as a manufacturedarticle is novel and results in what is most desirable and has not beenaccomplished before, thus constituting not only distinct improvements,but securing advantages both new and useful. I attain these objects ashereinafter described and produce an article of manufacture illustratedin the accompanying drawingspvhere- Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe finished product, and Fig. 2 a sectional view of its construction.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in the views.

The bass string generally consists of an internal steel wire A, woundaround continuously with an iron wire B throughout its length, thesewires being properly proportioned, according to the sound desired, andthe Winding-wire B, of metal a, is usually plated with tin b. In actualuse it has been found impossible through practical necessities of thetin-plating process which cannot be eliminated to coat the iron Wirewith tin evenly and exactly. Any unevenness of diameter in the stringaffects accordingly the tone or quality of sound produced. Besides,experience shows that when the tin-plated iron or winding wire is bentaround the steel or core Wire the tinning cracks and opens and exposesthe iron to dampness, rust, and changes of atmosphere which sooner orlater affect and often destroy the tone quality of the string. In orderto obviate these objections', I coat or plate the iron wire with copperand then wind it around the steel corewire. The process of platingpermits the ap-' plication of an absolutely even coat of copper to theiron wire sufficiently elastic to accommodate itself to the necessarywinding without cracking or opening anywhere and completely prevents anyexposure of the iron winding-wire, and consequently of the steelcorewire, to atmospheric changes and also permits the winding to be doneso evenly as to keep the diameter of the finished bass string exactlyuniform through'its length, so that the quality of its tone is perfectand remains constant, which is of great importance in making up a bassscale. It has the further advantage of being less expensive and moredurable.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A bass string for musical instruments composed of a steel core-wireand an iron winding-Wire which has been copper-plated separately beforebeing wound around the core-wire, both combined substantially asspecified.

2. As a new article of manufacture,a corestring of steel, a winding-wireof iron, the latter separately copper-plated and subsequently woundaround the former, both in combination to form a bass string for musicalinstruments substantially as specified.

ALBERT D. RAMAOCIOTTI.

Witnesses:

Geo. W. BROWN, Jr., J OHN SCHMIDLING.

